Switch particularly for electronic organs



June 11, 1968 Q F. LYVANG 3,338,229

SWITCH PARTICULARLY FOR ELECTRONIC ORGANS Filed Dec. 16, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 R2 INVENTOR.

o 6 Fans L. Lwvn Me INPUT OUTPUT BY z Aaent June 11, 1968 F. LYVANG 3,388,229

SWITCH PARTICULARLY FOR ELECTRONIC ORGANS Filed Dec. 16, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 1 N VEN TOR. Fans L. LYVRNG United States Patent 3,388,229 SWITCH PARTICULARLY FOR ELECTRONIC ORGANS Frits L. Lyvang, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, assignor to Dominion Eiectrohome Industries Limited, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada Filed Dec. 16, 1966, Ser. No. 602,209 16 Claims. (Cl. 200166) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A two-position switch in which one end of a resilient wire is fixed to a frame to cantilever the other end. Two electrical terminals are fixed adjacent the free end of the wire on the same side thereof but at different axial locations along the wire. The first terminal is furthest from the fixed end and is closer to the wire than the second terminal, but neither is in contact with the wire. A pusher member either can push the wire into contact with the first terminal, or can push the wire sufficiently far to bring it into contact with the second terminal, the latter acting as a fulcrum to lever the wire away from the first terminal,

This invention relates to a three-stop switch capable of selectively bringing one electrical terminal into contact with any one of three other electrical terminals. This switch finds particular application as an attenuating stop for electrical organs, but it will be readily discerned from what follows that the switch according to this invention is capable of many applications outside of this field.

It is an object of this invention to provide a three-stop switch of simple and novel construction.

It is an object of a preferred embodiment of this invention to provide a three-stop switch controlled by a pivotally mounted lever adapted to pivot between three angular positions corersponding to the three stops.

The preferred embodiment is particularly adapted for use with electric organs, because of the relative ease and swiftness with which a player can change the lever from one position to another and thereby, for example, attenuate an organ voice, change the frequency or amplitude of the vibrato, etc.

The advantage of using a pivotally mounted lever for the step-wise control of certain note characteristics in an electric organ, as opposed to the kind of control mechanism involving linear reciprocation toward and away from the player, such as the stops on certain kinds of comercial electrical organs, is that a lever with certain at-rest or dead angular positions is easier to move correctly to the desired position than is a linearly reciprocating stop.

Accordingly, this invention provides a switch comprising a frame, a terminal secured to said frame, an electrically conductive, resilient, elongated member rigidly secured at one end to said frame so as to be biased out of contact with said terminal, means for selectively moving said elongated member against its bias into contact with said terminal by pushing said elongated member at a location intermediate said one end and said second terminal, and a further terminal secured to said frame on the same side of said elongated member as said first-mentioned terminal, said further terminal being positioned between said first-mentioned terminal and 3,388,229 Patented June 11, 1968 the location at which said means pushes said elongated member, and being spaced from said elongated member when the latter has been pushed into contact with said first-mentioned terminal, said means being adapted selectively to push said elongated member sufficiently far against its bias that it makes contact with said further terminal.

One embodiment of this invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is an expanded, perspective view of a portion of the switch assembly;

FIGURE 2 is a vertical sectional view through the switch assembly of FIGURE 1 in its assembled condition;

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of a portion of an organ console utilizing three of the switches according to this invention; and

FIGURES 4, 5, 6 and 7 are vertical sectional views of the terminals of the switch, showing the different electrical contact arrangements possible.

Turning now to FIGURE 2 of the drawings, the switch assembly according to this invention is seen to consist of a frame 10, which includes an upper plate 11 and a lower plate 12, these plates being held rigidly in parallel, spaced-apart relation by means of several posts 14, to either end of which the plates 11 and 12 are secured by means of bolts 16. The lower plate 12 is preferably of electrically non-conductive material, Rigidly attached to the lower plate 12 is a block 18 of bakelite or other electrically non-conductive material. FIGURE 1 shows the block 18 to be attached to the lower plate 12 by means of a bolt 19.

Rigidly anchored into the block 18 and extending downwardly through the lower plate 12 are two electrically conductive, resilient, elongated members 22. In the preferred embodiment, the elongated members 22 are conductive wires of highly resilient material, and hereinafter will be referred to as wires 22. Since both wires 22 are identical, and function simultaneously in exactly the same way, the following description of only one wire will suflice. It will furthermore be understood that this invention is comprehended in a single wire and its related contacts.

The wire 22 is so shaped that when its one end 24 is rigidly secured to the frame 10, the remainder of the wire 22 tends to seek a position in which it diverges upwardly away from the lower plate 12 at a very slight angle. In the embodiment shown, the wire 22 never attains this divergent free orientation, because it is constrained by a first terminal 26 to take up a position in which it is substantially parallel with the lower plate 12. As can be seen in FIGURE 1, the first terminal 26 has a V-groove 27 (for each of the wires 22) in which the wire 22 is adapted to lodge. The natural bias of the wire 22 tends to urge the wire into the apex of each V-groove 27 with sufficient force to establish good electrical contact between the wire 22 and the first terminal 26, and to cause in the wire 22 the slight upward bow visible in FIG- URE 4.

In FIGURE 1, it can be seen that the upper plate 11 has an opening 30 which is generally rectangular in shape, but has a tongue 31 projecting thereinto centrally of one edge. Ssecured to the tongue 31 is a clevis 32, consisting of a base portion 33 and two upstanding arms 34.

The arms 34 each have an aperture 35 through which a pin 36 is adapted to pass. A lever 40 (the extremities of three of which are shown in FIGURE 3) is mounted on the pin 36 for pivotal movement with respect to the frame 10. The lever 40 is integral with a body 42 that is shaped with oppositely extending wings 43 which are adapted to seat against pads 44 at either extremity of the opening 30 in the upper plate 11.

Extending at an angle downwardly from the body 42 is a rigid appendage 46 having, at its extremity, a widened and slightly angled plate portion 47 around which is wrapped and adhered a non-conductive pad 50 of sufficient width to span both wires 22.

As seen in FIGURE 1, the body 42, has on its nearer face, a downward triangular extension 51 having an angular recess 52 at its apex. The triangular extension 51 is matched by a similar triangular extension 53 on the opposite face, extension 53 coming to a point and not having an angular recess. A cam-follower wheel 55 is mounted within, and adjacent the edge of, the opening 30 on a piece of spring wire 57 of which the opposite end is secured to the upper plate 11 by suitable fastening means 58. The cam-follower wheel 55 is biased upwardly into its uppermost position as shown in FIGURE 1, and is adapted to move up and down in the plane of the extension 51. As shown in FIGURES 4, 5, 6 and 7, when the lever 40 is mounted to pivot on the clevis 32, the camfollower wheel 55 follows the cam surface 57 constituted by the profile of the extension 51.

Turning now to FIGURES 4-7, it will be seen that the pad 50 is adapted, upon pivotal movement of the lever 40, to push the wire 22 against its bias; that is, away from the terminal 26. As seen in FIGURE 1 and in FIGURES 4 to 7, a second terminal 60 is secured to the lower plate 12 adjacent the wire 22 but remote from the first terminal 26. By the phrase remote from the first terminal 26" is meant that the operative or contacting portion of the first terminal 26 and the second terminal 60 are on opposite sides of the wire 22, although not necessarily in the same longitudinal position with respect to the wire 22. In the embodiment shown, the second terminal 60 is further than the first terminal 26 from the end 24 of the wire 22. A third terminal 62 is secured to the lower plate 12 adjacent the wire 22 and remote from the first terminal 26. The third terminal 62 is positioned between the first terminal and the location at which the pad 50 pushes against the wire 22, and is at a greater spacing than the second terminal 60 from the wire 22 when the latter bears against the first terminal 26. As the lever 40 pivots clockwise about the pin 36, the pad 50 swings downwardly to the left, coming in contact with the wire 22, and pushing the latter against its bias out of contact with the first terminal 26 and into contact with the second terminal 60. In this position, the wire 22 has a slight downward bow. The cam-follower wheel 55 becomes lodged in the angular recess 52 at the point where proper electrical contact occurs between the wire 22 and the second terminal 60.

It is to be pointed out that, although in the embodiment shown the third terminal 62 is at a greater spacing than the second terminal 60 from the wire 22 when the latter is positioned as shown in FIGURE 4, this greater spacing is not an essential limitation. What is essential is that, when the wire 22 has been pushed into contact with the second terminal 60, the third terminal 62 is still spaced from the wire 22.

Further pivotal movement of the clever 40 in the clockwise direction urges the pad 50 still further into the wire 22 and, as shown in FIGURE 6, a point is reached wherein electrical contact is simultaneously established between the wire 22 and both of terminals 60 and 62. If desired, the extension 51 can be so shaped, and the wings 43 so designed, that the pad 50 will be at-rest in the position of simultaneous contact of the wire 22 with both terminals 60 and 62, although such simultaneous contact would be difficult to achieve with both of terminals 60 and 62 rigid. To facilitate simultaneous contact between the wire 22 and terminals 60 and 62, terminals 60 can be made vertically reciprocable and spring-biased into its uppermost position as shown in FIGURE 6. A vertical slot 64 is adapted slidingly to receive the terminal 60 and contains a compression spring 65 which urges the terminal 60 toward its uppermost position as determined by suitable stop or detent means (not shown). Thus, downward pressure by the wire 22 on the reciprocable terminal 60 will depress the latter against its upward bias until contact is made between the wire 22 and the third terminal 62.

As an alternative to FIGURE 6, FIGURE 7 shows what happens to the wire 22 when the pad descends further than its position in FIGURE 6. The third terminal 62 acts as a fulcrum to lever the wire 22 away from the second terminal 60. The switch mechanism can be designed with FIGURE 7 as the third position, merely by properly shaping the extension 51 and the wings 43. Where FIGURE 7 is to be the third position, both terminals 60 and 62 can be rigid.

It is also possible to have a four-stop switch, having an at-rest position in both the FIGURE 6 and the FIGURE 7 configurations. In this case it would be preferable to design the extension 51 with two side-by-side angular recesses similar to recess 52, such that the camfoltower wheel would have four portions of the cam surface 57 in which to lodge, corresponding to the four FIGURES 4-7. Also, it would be of advantage to make the second terminal reciprocal, as shown in FIG- URE 6.

As shown in FIGURE 1, the second and third terminals 60 and 62 also have V-grooves in the apices of which the wires 22 are adapted to lodge.

In FIGURE 2, a simplified electrical circuit is shown, illustrating the way in which a single one of the wires 22 might be utilized to attenuate a signal in an organ. When contact is made between the wire 22 and the first terminal 26, both resistances R1 and R2 are inserted between the input and the output. When contact occurs with the second terminal 60, only R2 is in the circuit, and when contact occurs between the wire 22 and the third terminal 62, no resistance is placed in the circuit.

As shown in FIGURE 1, the extension 53 on the remote face of the body 42 comes to a point. It is therefore pos sible for the switch mechanism to be changed over from a three-stop switch to a two-stop switch merely by changing the cam-follower wheel 55 from the nearer edge of the opening 30 to the further edge of the opening 30. FIGURE 2 shows this arrangement. It will be obvious that, without a recess corresponding to the angular recess 52, the lever will be at-rest in only two positions of the cam surface. The design of the switch can be such as to make the second position correspond to any one of FIG- URES 5, 6 or 7.

As an alternative, it would be possible to shape the further extension 53 to have two angular recesses, such that the cam surface constituted by its profile will have four portions in which the cam-follower wheel 55 may lodge and arrest the lever 40, corresponding to the configurations of FIGURES 4, 5, 6 and 7. The switch of this invention would then be convertible from a three-stop switch to a four-stop switch.

In a like manner, the switch could be designed to be convertible from a two-stop switch to a four-stop switch.

While the preferred embodiment of this invention has been described with the first terminal intermediate the second and third terminals, and with the pad 50 situated between the third terminal and the end of the wire 22 which is secured to the lower plate 12, this is by no means the only workable configuration for these elements.

The essential characteristics for the configuration ol the pad 50 and the terminals 26, 60 and 62 are (1) that the third terminal 62 be positioned between the second terminal 60 and the pad 50, and (2) that a hypothetical straight line 63 (FIGURE 4), which is in the plane of movement of the wire 22 and which touches the second terminal 60* and the third terminal 62 where they contact the elongated member, does not touch the first terminal 26. If the line 63 did cut the first terminal 26, as it would if the first terminal were a good distance to the left of the second terminal 60 (FIGURES 4-7), then the FIGURE 6 and FIGURE 7 configurations could not be achieved. Thus, three alternative arrangements to that shown which would satisfy both of the above conditions would be with the first terminal 26 (a) to the right of the pad 50, (b) between the third terminal 62 and the pad 50, and (c) slightly to the left of the second terminal 62 (but not so far as to out line 63). If desired, the first terminal 26 could also be directly opposite either of terminals 60 and 62.

Although three terminals 26, 60 and 62 have been described and shown, it is considered that an arrangement with only the second and third terminals 60 and 62 is also within the ambit of this invention. By dispensing entirely with the first terminal 26, the wire 22 would be freestanding in the first position, out of contact with terminals 60 and 62 but poised directly above them. The positions of FIGURES 5, 6 and 7 would be unchanged in this situation.

While a preferred embodiment of this invention has been disclosed herein, those skilled in the art will appreciate that changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention as defined in the appended claims.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A switch comprising:

a frame,

a terminal secured to said frame,

an electrically conductive, resilient, elongated member rigidly secured at one end to said frame so as to be biased out of contact with said terminal,

means for selectively moving said elongated member against its bias into contact with said terminal by pushing said elongated member at a location intermediate said one end and said terminal,

and a further terminal secured to said frame on the same side of said elongated member as said first-mentioned terminal, said further terminal being positioned between said first-mentioned terminal and the location at which said means pushes said elongated member, and being spaced from said elongated member when the latter has been pushed into contact with said first-mentioned terminal,

said means being adapted selectively to push said elongated member sufficiently far against its bias that it makes contact with said further terminal.

2. A switch as claimed in claim 1, in which said means is adapted selectively to push said elongated member sufficiently far against its bias that it makes contact with only said further terminal, the latter acting as a fulcrum to lever the elongated member away from said first-mentioned terminal.

3. A switch comprising:

a frame,

a first terminal secured to said frame,

an electrically conductive, resilient, elongated member rigidly secured at one end to said frame so as to be resiliently biased to bear against said first terminal, a second terminal secured to said frame adjacent said elongated member remote from said first terminal,

means for selectively moving said elongated member against its bias out of contact with said first terminal and into contact with said second terminal by pushing said elongated member at a location intermediate said one end and said second terminal,

and a third terminal secured to said frame adjacent said elongated member and remote from said first terminal, the third terminal being positioned between said second terminal and the location at which said means pushes said elongated member, and being spaced from said elongated member when the latter has been pushed into contact with said second terminal,

said means being adapted selectively to push said elongated member sufficiently far against its bias that it makes contact with the third terminal.

4. A switch as claimed in claim 3, in which said means is adapted selectively to push said elongated member sufficiently far against its bias that it makes contact with only the third terminal, the latter acting as a fulcrum to lever the elongated member away from the second terminal.

5. A switch as claimed in claim 3, in which said means has: a first at-rest" position in which it is out of contact with said elongated member, a second at-rest" position in which it has pushed the elongated member far enough against its bias to bring the elongated member out of contact with said first terminal and into contact with said second terminal, and a third at-rest position in which it has pushed the elongated member far enough against its bias to bring said elongated member into contact with the third terminal.

6. A switch as claimed in claim 5, in which said means in the third at-rest position has pushed the elongated member far enough against its bias for the third terminal to act as a fulcrum to lever the elongated member away from and out of electrical contact with the second terminal.

7. A switch as claimed in claim 5, in which said means in the third at-rest position has pushed the elongated member far enough against its bias to bring the elongated member into simultaneous contact with the second and the third terminal.

8. A switch as claimed in claim 7, in which said means has a fourth at-rest position in which it has pushed the elongated member far enough against its bias for the third terminal to act as a fulcrum to lever the elongated member away from and out of electrical contact with the second terminal.

9. A switch as claimed in claim 3, in which the first terminal is closer than said second terminal to said one end of the elongated member.

10. A switch as claimed in claim 3, in which a hypothetical straight line which is in the plane of movement of the elongated member and which touches the second and third terminals where they contact the elongated member does not touch the first terminal.

11. A switch as claimed in claim 3, in which the longitudinal position of the first terminal with respect to the elongated member is between the second and third terminals.

12. A switch as claimed in claim 3, in which said elongated member is a flexible, resilient wire.

13. A switch as claimed in claim 5, in which said means comprises a lever pivotally mounted to the frame for pivotal movement between the first, second and third atrest positions, the lever having a rigid appendage at the extremity of which is a non-conductive pad adapted to displace said elongated member when said lever is in the second and third at-rest positions.

14. A switch as claimed in claim 5, in which said elongated member is a flexible, resilient wire, and in which the terminals have V-grooves in which the wire is adapted to lodge when contact is made, the V-grooves of the second and third terminals opening in the direction of bias of the wire, the V-groove of the first terminal opening in the direction opposite the direction of bias of the wire.

15. A switch as claimed in claim 14, in which said means comprises a lever pivotally mounted to the frame for pivotal movement between the first, second and third atrest positions, the lever having a rigid appendage at the extremity of which is a non-conductive pad adapted to displace said wire when said lever is in the second and third at-rest positions, and in which the longitudinal position of the first terminal with respect to the wire is be tween the second and third terminals.

16. A switch as claimed in claim 13, in which said lever has a first cam surface and a second cam surface, camfollower means spring-biased selectively against one or the other cam surface, the first cam surface having at least three portions where the cam follower means may lodge and arrest the lever, the secOnd cam surface having at least two portions where the cam follower means may lodge and arrest the lever, the number of said portions of said first cam surface being different than the number of said portions of said second cam surface.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS ROBERT K. SCHAEFER, Primary Examiner.

H. BURKS, Assistant Examiner. 

